A&E doctor 'missed injuries of disabled girl who fell in the Thames'

Monday 16 December 2013 11:05 BST

Traumatic: Kelly Madarasz with her mother, Edit and stepfather Andrew Furniss. She spent three days in intensive care Caption: Kelly Madarasz with her mother, Edit (CORR) and stepfather Andrew Furniss.
A SEVERELY disabled teenager “nearly drowned” after her wheelchair careered into the Thames and she was stuck in the water for 20 minutes, her family said today (MON).
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Hospital bosses apologised today to the family of a severely disabled woman who claim she was almost sent home from A&E despite suffering injuries after falling into the Thames in her wheelchair.

Kelly Madarasz, 25, who cannot talk and is virtually immobile, suffered facial fractures, cuts and blood poisoning after being stuck in the water for about 20 minutes.

But when she was taken to hospital, her family said a doctor wanted to discharge her and it was only after they protested that she was given tests revealing the extent of her injuries.

The family also accused the charity running her care home, Choice Support, of playing down the accident after they said in a statement that she suffered “no ill effects”.

Miss Madarasz has terminal Rett Syndrome, a genetic neurological illness, and is a resident at Roy Kinnear House in Twickenham.

The incident happened on December 4, in Twickenham, when she was strapped into a bulky wheelchair and being pushed by a carer.

The wheel hit a bump and they tumbled down the bank, the chief executive of Choice Support said. Miss Madarasz ended up in the water and the carer jumped in to try to rescue her.

A passing dog walker, who the family want to trace, then went in to keep her head above water.

A teacher from nearby Radnor House Independent School, Clare McNab, also came to help, bringing blankets and tea. Teddington RNLI lifeboat was scrambled along with firefighters, who pulled Miss Madarasz and her carer out.

Miss Madarasz was taken to West Middlesex University Hospital.

Her stepfather, Andrew Furniss, claimed the first A&E doctor was going to discharge her before her mother, Edit, protested. Mr Furniss, 41, a City worker, said: “Kelly was in intensive care for three days ... how could they say there were no ill effects?

“At the hospital, if Kelly’s mum hadn’t insisted on the CT scan, she would have gone home and I’m convinced we would have been attending a funeral.

“Thankfully, Kelly is now on the mend and the subsequent hospital care has been excellent.” Choice Support’s chief executive Steven Rose said: “We’re terribly sorry that it happened, and for the trauma to Kelly and her family.”

A spokesman for West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust said: “We are very sorry that our initial care of Kelly Madarasz was not managed in such a way that maintained the confidence of her family.”